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Endometriosis can elude diagnosis

When Zoe Armstrong got an ultrasound report showing signs of endometriosis, she called her mom and cried. After years of suffering and seeking help from doctors, she finally had an answer. “To see it on paper, I was like, ‘I’m not crazy,’” the 31-year-old recalled. “I very much ...

DEAR ANNIE: Family summer vacation turned stressful

DEAR ANNIE: This past July, my husband and I rented a house near us so our two daughters, their husbands and our grandchildren could all spend time together. Since everyone lives several states apart, we thought it would be a wonderful chance to reconnect and hopefully start a yearly family tradition. We live only about 15 minutes from the rental, so during the day we planned activities in the mountains, and in the evenings everyone would come back to our house for dinner and time together. For most of the trip, things went well. But during the last couple of days, it became obvious ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Enlarged spleen may be sign of leukemia

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m 80. Over the past 26 years, I’ve had low blood platelet counts. (In 1998, one reading was 168,000, and in 2026, the reading was 117,000.) I have an enlarged spleen (16.1 centimeters), and I understand that this could account for my low platelet count. I do have tiny red dots on my chest. However, my doctor thinks that I have leukemia and is preparing me for a spinal tap. My doctor seems to be ignoring the spleen issue. My brother had a spleen removed (at age 5) because it was destroying his blood count. My mother did die from leukemia. My question is, would my ...

DEAR ANNIE:No need to feel guilty about being happy

DEAR ANNIE: My twin sister and I have been compared to each other for as long as I can remember. As children, people compared our grades, our looks, our friends and even our personalities. We always laughed it off, but now that we are older, I’m beginning to realize how much those comparisons still affect me. My life has turned out very well. I have a successful career, a happy marriage, a comfortable home and enough financial security to travel and enjoy things I worked hard for. My sister has had a much rougher road. She went through a painful divorce, had to sell the house she ...